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SOS

Chapter 2: The Maw

Summary: One night, while combing through an entity's metadata, Kevin receives a mysterious and panicked email...

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: Gen

Fandoms: collinlock16 - Fandom, minecraft arg but the protagonist is tired, Collinlock16 - Oneshef (Web Series)

Relationships: Kevin (Collinlock16) & Original Female Character(s), Kevin (Collinlock16) & Somni (Original Character)

Characters: Kevin (Collinlock16), Original Female Character(s), x_SomniSolace_x (Original Character)

Additional Tags: Inspired by House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski, Psychological Trauma, Minecraft Horror, Doppelganger, i'll add tags as the fic continues, Psychological Horror, dark mode recommended btw, the author's barely disguised hatred for emails, Beta Read, i will NOT die like AwesomeG, I learned html for this

AO3 // 1 // 2 (You are here!) //

The trek to the hotel was a long one, even with the expansive minecart subway system laid right beneath the city. During that time, Somni filled him in on the history of the hotel, and the world itself.

As it turns out, Kevin was correct about the world's age; Somni created it around 7 years ago, and just kept porting it through each update while continuing to play during her free time. As for the hotel, it was pretty old too, having finished construction 2 years after world creation.

"Wow, so this thing has been around for... a while!" Kevin had to shout over the sound of the wind whipping through his fur, staring up at the lights of the subway tunnels. The way the sea lanterns' glow streaked at their high speed was almost hypnotic.

"Yup! Sure has!" Somni had to crane her head to respond, as she had taken the front cart to guide them both, "And despite it all, it's still my favorite Minecraft build to date! It's my magnum opus!"

Kevin's eyebrows raised.

"Really? What, is it like- super massive or something?"

Somni perked up like a dog hearing the word treat. She nodded, completely turning around in her minecart to face him comfortably and began to rapidly gesture with her hands.

"Oh it's larger than massive! It has 84 floors, NOT including the 2 basement levels, and it took me just over 5 months to build, even using WorldEdit," he could hear the pride in her voice, even through the thunderous rumbling of their minecarts and the howling air, "Every room is furnished too, I ended up convincing a couple of friends join me every once in a while to help me decorate. I even used mods to give it working elevators, revolving doors, even everyday electricity fixtures like light switches! Fun fact, I took inspiration from classic art deco architecture, like the Chrysler Building in the USA, the Eden Theater in Portugal, Helsinki Central Station in Finland..."

Somehow, even through her mask, Kevin could feel Somni's wide grin and sparkling eyes. It was a relief; her passion-filled excitement was a highly-favored contrast compared to when she was crying earlier, and hey, architecture was cool!

But he had a task to focus on. And as their carts rounded a curve into an underwater tunnel, the lights grew sparse to make way for the ocean scenery outside the glass.

"So, like-" he scratched the back of his head, letting it fall to one shoulder, "Sorry to switch topics on ya', but do you know when the hotel came to life? Could you gimme a rough estimate?"

He felt that small pang of guilt again when Somni deflated slightly, but she nodded.

"I dunno the exact date, but like," she tapped her chin in thought, "I noticed it making rooms maybe... a couple years ago?"

Kevin's jaw dropped, "YEARS!? And you didn't do anything about it???"

"Don't get me wrong, I tried to delete the new rooms with WorldEdit at first! But they just kept coming back, and I wanted to keep making new buildings, so I decided it was best to just, y'know, piss off. The new rooms weren't hurting anything or getting in the way, so..."

"... Makes sense, I guess, it's a waste of energy and time if they just kept being rebuilt..."

Kevin's eyes focused on a school of beautiful tropical fish a bit away from the glass. They danced through the kelp forest, swarming fronds of seaweed and ocean grass for their midnight snack. Occasionally an axolotl or dolphin swam by, and they all scrambled to hide and blend amongst the coral on the seafloor.³

Somni stared off into the deep ocean outside the glass of the tunnel. Her gaze locked onto the same school of fish.

"Anything else you wanna know?"

They both watched as an axolotl swam near some coral, hunting for it's next meal. One fish with shiny red and yellow scales swam just a bit too far out of the tubing of some fire coral. It seemed to notice the axolotl, but by the time it realized how close it was to the creature, it was too late; the axolotl's jaws clamped around it, and it thrashed and thrashed and thrashed until it was swallowed whole, disappearing into the predator's maw.

"Eh, I can't think of anything else to ask you right now, but I'll let you know," Kevin answered.

Somni nodded, and the ocean disappeared from view once more as the glass returned to stone bricks.

__________

Finally, finally, they made it.

After a long minecart ride and a trek up one of the tallest staircases Kevin's ever seen, they made it.

Kevin couldn't describe the relief he felt when he saw the large neon sign above the revolving front door, the bright letters standing out against the black and gold background.

{The Deep Code Hotel}

It was a sight to behold. From the very moment Kevin heard about the hotel, he wondered, in the back of his mind, why Somni didn't just destroy it and build a new one from scratch. Sure, it took her a ridiculous amount of time to build, but it could always be rebuilt. But he understood completely now that no, it never could.

It was towering, beautiful. Like an arm outstretched to heaven⁴, it's gold and greenish blue crest at the top piercing the sky like a needle. Tan bricks emboldened large, embellished windows and chrome filigree, the building feeling more like a very tall sculpture than architecture. If Somni tried to build it again, it wouldn't be the same. Wouldn't be as breathtaking. Wouldn't evoke the same sense of awe.

The view from the hotel was gorgeous too. The foundations, placed high on a mountain, granted the pair a rather breathtaking view of the city Somni had built below. The sun was just beginning to set too; Kevin was hypnotized by the golden glow that bathed over the world, dulling the harshness of the dazzling city lights.

The pair took a moment to just take it all in, enjoying the sight, the cool mountain breeze, and the gentle orchestral music⁵ that wafted through the revolving doors of the hotel.

Kevin yawned, fighting the urge to snuggle into his coat and let his eyes close. His eyes felt dry from being awake for so long. He saw Somni peek at him from the corner of his vision.

"...Are you sure you're up to this?" She asked, head tilting to the side, "You look exhausted and we haven't even gone inside yet."

Kevin yawned again with a nod, flicking his hand in dismissal, "Yup, 'm just a little sleepy because of the time I logged on. But this a creative server, so I'm not too concerned about like... grinding for supplies and all that. This won't take long."

An intrigued hum left Somni's mouth at that, but she didn't ask any further questions, instead gesturing to the revolving glass doors.

"In that case, after you, Mister Mercenary."

A playful smirk curled Kevin's mouth, "Oh! Why thank you."

He stepped through the doors, and wow, if the outside of the hotel wasn't beautiful, the inside certainly was.

Polished tile floors, high wood-paneled ceilings, crystal chandeliers, soft looking leather and wood furniture... in Kevin's mind, it was the definition of classy yet cozy. Inviting. Admittedly, it also reminded him a little bit of the hotel from The Shining, but he could say that for most 5 star hotels with this type of decor. He particularly enjoyed the abundance of plants, the flower pots and miniature gardens adding an extra level of life to the space. It seemed to be a signature of Somni's, Kevin having spied similar garden plots through the windows of her other builds.

"So... what is your plan, exactly?" Somni piped up behind him as she stepped through the doors, "For your investigation, I mean."

Kevin found himself absentmindedly drawn to a fireplace near the entrance, enjoying the warmth on his still-damp fur. He crouched in front of it, rubbed his hands together, and held them out in front of the gentle flames.

"Well, the first step is to check this place out. Explore 'n all that. See if whatever is haunting this place will come out with coaxing, or if I need to force it out."

"I see..." Somni seemed to think to herself for a second, "If that's the case, maybe you should start in the basement? That's where all the new rooms begin."

"Hah, of course the weirdness is in the basement. Predictable." Kevin snickered, "But like, what about all the other 84 levels? Surely something has happened on some of the other floors. This place is huge even without the- like- basement fuckery. I'd be amazed if nothing was hiding somewhere up there."

"Actually, I've never had an issue with the floors above ground," Somni said, crouching beside him and warming her own hands, "I consider it my safe zone. I spend a lot of time planning builds here, and nothing ever seems to happen to the floors above the ground level."

"...Huh. Interesting. So it's... literally just the basement that's haunted."

"I think possessed is a better term, but yes."

A contemplative silence fell over the two as they stared into the flickering flames. Kevin in particular could practically feel the gears turning away in his head as he absorbed everything, trying to fit the puzzle pieces into place.

Just what was this entity? Even with all of these clues, he just couldn't figure it out. His antivirus scan had come up with nothing on the ride over, so it couldn't be some kind of AI or malware. Therefore, a World Eater or Worm classification was out of the question.

That meant it had to be supernatural. A ghost, or demon, something. It didn't seem to be a ghost from what Somni had described. If it was a ghost, it would've tried to speak in human language by now, not build room after room in a hotel in a Minecraft world. Maybe demon...? No, because it wouldn't bother with the building either, especially not after this long.

Fuck, what else could it possibly be then?!

Kevin scowled to himself.

"Say, would it be fine if I changed my gamemode to spectator real quick?"

Somni turned to face him, head tilted.

"...Whyyy...?"

"I think it'll give me a better idea of the hotel's layout," Kevin said, "And I'll be able to check through the rooms faster for anything weird."

The woman seemed to think about it for a second before giving him a dismissive nod, "Sure, why not. Do whatever you gotta do. I'll meet you by the elevator doors."

"Sweet, thanks."

>x_SomniSolace_x changed I_AM_BIG_KEVIN's gamemode to spectator

Kevin, now invisible, watched as Somni stood up from the fireplace and disappeared behind a hall past the lobby desk. Immediately after, he shot up to the upper floors with the intent to investigate. There was no way they were empty, they just couldn't be. Not with so much space for something to hide.

He checked bedrooms. He checked kitchens. He checked closets, storage rooms, and even the redstone sectors in search of anything out of the ordinary. He breezed through the walls of each floor, eyes scanning for signs of corruption or mystery blocks.

Besides the fact that the game was clearly modded, he couldn't find anything. No entities, no out of place blocks, no strange geometry, nothing.

Kevin released a defeated sigh. Guess Somni wasn't lying. Typically, when this sort of thing happened, his client would tell him they couldn't find anything and he'd end up finding something within a few minutes. But he supposed Somni's had the hotel for 5 years now. That was more than enough time to figure out which areas inside it were untouched by whatever was affecting the build.

<x_SomniSolace_x> hey man its been like <x_SomniSolace_x> 10 minutes <x_SomniSolace_x> i dont wanna rush you but where you at

Speak of the devil. A gunpowdery hiss burned in the back of Kevin's throat. Right, she was waiting for him. And he still hasn't checked the basement in spectator mode yet. Fuck.

<I_AM_BIG_KEVIN> sorry, i'm not trying to make you wait too long. i'm still poking around. give me maybe 5 more minutes <x_SomniSolace_x> :thumbsup:

Welp, guess he'd better make his way down, then.

He began his descent, white irises staring out the window, eyes focusing on the city behind the world border-

Wait.

Kevin paused midair, incredulous. Then, he phased through the side of the hotel. He approached the world border, pressing against it, the blue lines glowing against his hands as they blocked him from going any further. Yup, that was the actual world border alright, completely surrounding the building and blocking all access to the rest of the city he had been walking through not even 30 minutes ago.

Kevin couldn't fight the amused smirk that stretched his lips.

"Hah, trying to trap me, huh?"

He stared at the border for a moment, as if it would answer. It didn't of course, and he laughed quietly to himself.

"Well if that's the case, you'll have to try harder than that."

He could've sworn he heard a deep rumble emanate from the hotel at his words, but it was so quiet he couldn't tell if that's what it actually was.

Alright, now he had to check the basement. It was a little disorienting to sink through the ground; but once the initial feeling of nausea wore off, he managed to get a good look.

It... was normal. From his outside perspective, he could see the elevator shaft carved into the mountain, connected to the 2 basement levels. They seemed to house most of the machines needed to power the modded bits of the hotel such as the elevator and revolving door, with a couple of walk-in freezers and storage rooms. There was no weird geometry, no strange gravity, nothing.

Now, Kevin wasn't the type to call someone a liar. In fact, he preferred to take people at face value in this line of work. Most of his clients understood that in order to fix their issue, they needed to provide him with accurate information. Somni, bless her heart, only seemed to provide half-truths. To her credit, the hotel did seem to want to trap them both, if the world border moving said anything. But the way she wrote her emails made it seem like she was already trapped inside of it and dying. Her messages were frenzied, desperate; a far cry from the comparatively calm and quiet woman waiting for him by the elevator.

And then there was the issue that the supposed years worth of rooms built by the hotel just... weren't there. And he hasn't exactly felt anything try to communicate with him other than Somni. Needless to say, he was growing skeptical.

He couldn't stop the frustrated hiss that bubbled from his throat, a mist of gunpowder escaping his mouth. He'd have to have a little chat with her about transparency. It was too late in the night to have to deal with this kind of bullshit.

He rubbed at his eyes as he ascended to the ground floor. He made quick work of finding Somni, who was waiting ever so patiently on a wooden bench next to the elevator.

>I_AM_BIG_KEVIN changed gamemode to creative

She looked at Kevin when he materialized in front of her, and stood up from the bench.

"Sooo, how'd it go?"

"Eh, it was... fine," he couldn't bite back his annoyance, "Couldn't find anything you were talking about though. Kind of a uh... waste of my time."

Somni gave a simple hum, before looking at the elevator doors. If she caught onto his tone, she ignored it.

"Can't say I'm surprised," she said, "I'm not sure if the Hotel responds well to spectators. Or strangers, for that matter. Maybe it was hiding from you."

She said it like it was the simplest thing in the world, and Kevin once again felt that frustration swell. But he kept his mouth shut this time as the woman continued.

"Either way, you'll see what I'm talking about once we physically reach the basement."

She pressed the down button on the wall, and the soft orchestra playing over the speakers suddenly went silent as the elevator made a soft ding! and opened it's doors.

Somni stepped inside and leaned against the wall, next to the buttons. She looked at Kevin expectantly. He tensed for a moment, but entered with a muted sigh and stood on the opposite end of the elevator. His eyes watched as she pressed the button to the 4th basement level, and the doors slid closed.

As soon as the elevator began it's descent, Somni began to stare at him. Or maybe he was just paranoid; he couldn't exactly see her face behind her mask, and the harsh lighting from the ceiling lights reflected strangely against it.

Suddenly, Somni spoke.

"Hey."

"...Yeah?"

"Before we get all the way down there, there's 2 things you need to know."

Kevin blinked. Something in his chest twisted uncomfortably, and it wasn't just the elevator going down. But he let his practiced smirk spread across his face in an attempt to hide it.

"Yeah? What's up?"

That smirk dropped a little when Somni suddenly straightened up and walked right up to him. He couldn't help but shrink back, suddenly having a hard time meeting her gaze.

She then spoke, voice low.

"As I've mentioned, the Hotel speaks. It will try and talk to you. It will worm itself inside your head, and try to make you feel like you're nuts. It will do anything to break you. It's all a part of it's game. Do. Not. Listen. No matter how pathetic it pleads or whose voice it uses, or how hatefully it threatens you."

Kevin couldn't stop his fur bristling.

"... Sounds uh, mortifying. And the other thing?"

She suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Do not let it get you alone."

And then, with a snapping sound and an electrical hiss, the elevator went pitch black. He couldn't help the startled hiss that burst from his lungs, especially when he felt Somni's arms grip the left sleeve of his trench coat. Her hands were shaking, and her nails dug painfully into his skin even through the layers of fur. But those sensations were dulled by how hard his heart was pounding in his chest.

"Fuck, it's here. Don't. Move."

She didn't have to tell him twice. They both stood frozen in the elevator, the only sound their ragged breathing and the slight buzz of electrical wires. Kevin's white irises darted around the elevator, searching for movement, black scleras blending in with the darkness that surrounded them.

Then, he heard the sound of scraping metal, and then something once again snapping. After, he felt his guts jump to his heart when he realized the elevator was falling, wind roaring between the tiniest gap in the door, the music from the lobby suddenly blaring, loud enough to make his ears ring.

"OH, OKAY, OH SHIT, WHAT-"

He clutched onto the hand rail for dear life, swiftly opening his inventory for anything he had that could help. He was taken aback by the sheer emptiness of his inventory slots and crafting grid next to the preview of his body, and he realized that he wasn't in creative mode anymore, but in survival.

"WAIT NO, WAIT WAIT WAIT-"

He heard a deafening crash, the sound of crunching metal, a scream that may have been either himself or Somni, and then a sharp pain through his whole body, and—

__________

³I've only been to an aquarium once in my life (or at least I think it was only once. My memory is getting fuzzy.) I was just a kid back then. Back when my eyes were still bright and my cheeks were even redder and still just a tad chubby with babyfat. That aquarium, to this day, remains one of my favorite places.

It was for a school field trip. I didn't have any interest in fish or aquatics back then, but I didn't feel like sitting in a near empty classroom with the other 3rd graders whose parents couldn't give enough of a shit about them to parent or were too impoverished to spare $10 for a ticket. So I begged my parents for 2 weeks straight to let me go, waving my unsigned permission slip in their faces. Mom said no the first few times, telling me that she and Dad were having money issues. I told her that I had seen her give a bunch of money directly to Father Richard on Sundays and Wednesdays, WAY more than $10, and that she could easily spare enough for a ticket to the aquarium for my school trip.

She grounded me that day for "disrespecting the church" and "eavesdropping." But 2 days after that was a designated Confession day at Jeezy's House (my parents hated that I called it that) and when my turn came to confess, I parroted back what my mom said. That I had eavesdropped and disrespected the church by trying to steal money for my school trip. Father Chavo asked what I meant by stealing money, and I told him that I had begged my mom for the $10 for the trip, and brought up how much she was donating. That I suggested she donate just a little bit less so I could go on my trip. That I was selfish. The priest went silent for a while behind that black, crushed velvet curtain that never closed right. I remember my face burning with shame that I had even considered my mom give less money to the church. But then his wrinkled hand slid beneath the curtain with a faded-looking $50 bill beneath his fingers.

"The Lord has forgiven you, and wills you to go visit his lovely creations at the aquarium. He also wills you to get yourself a nice meal and one of those chocolate chip milkshakes you like. And some new shoes the next time you're at the mall with your mother and father."

I can't lie, Father Chavo was a real one for that.

But anyways, I ended up getting my permission slip signed by my dad. I didn't realize it back then, but the priests ripped my parents a new one after confession that day, and when I came home from school the day after that, he handed me the signed slip and an envelope while Mom refused to look at me from the passenger seat of the RV.

"I signed your slip and broke down that $50. Give the $10 in the envelope to your teacher. I put the other $40 inside the very bottom pocket inside your backpack," Dad told me, "Please don't lose it. And I know you're smart enough to not spend it all on like... candy. Or Webkinz."

"Or drugs!"

"Pfft- yes. Don't- don't buy any aquarium drugs."

I remember giggling and grinning so hard my face hurt and giving my dad a big hug. The day of the field trip, I put on my favorite outfit and downed a bowl of Lucky Charms. Mom put my hair in a tight ponytail and told me to avoid getting wet because "Who knows what kinda germs are in that water?"

I got to school and my classmates and I all piled onto the bus with our science teacher and various parents who volunteered to chaperone. The bus smelled like rubber, sweat, and forgotten lunchboxes and the ride took at least an hour, but I was too excited and high on sugar to really be bothered by it.

I got put in a small group with 4 of my friends, chaperoned by one of their moms. I couldn't stop bouncing up and down while we waited in line for our tickets. And when we all finally got the go-ahead to go inside, we all practically bulldozed the other patrons to get inside while our chaperone called after us to slow down.

It was so cool.

It smelled of seawater and a surprisingly sterile cleaner. The ceilings were high and had recreations of prehistoric fish skeletons suspended up there next to their own signs. Murals of sea creatures lined the walls, and quickly turned into massive fish tanks and exhibits as our chaperone led us around, following the science teacher and the tour guide.

I was mesmerized. It was overwhelming. It was exciting.

They had sharks. Dolphins. Sea lions and walruses. They had deep sea fish that hypnotized me with their glow under a blacklight. They had a jelly exhibit, the little creatures peacefully floating around their tank like angels. They had a huge tank full of different kinds of shrimp, and I watched in glee as one of the aquarium workers tossed in a few slices of carrot, the vegetable getting swarmed almost immediately by a couple cherry shrimp. I remember giggling with my friend Joey and pointing out how their transparent bellies turned orange from the snack, before we got pulled away.

And then, there were the touch pools. I was hesitant about them, at first. Mom was very adamant that I didn't get any "aquarium germs" on me. I stood behind my 3 friends, watching them with envy as they laughed and squealed as the stingrays swam up to their hands, pressing against them, enjoying the touch.

I remember my friend's mom looking at me; she was a tall and slightly stout woman with sharp cheeks and kind brown eyes, black hair pulled into a ponytail just like mine.

"Sunny sweetie, don't you want to touch the rays? This one here is really sweet."

I had fidgeted with my hands, staring at the ray she was talking about. It was gray with a white belly, and swam full speed at any hands that touched the water in an attempt to get pet first. It's stinger was shorter than the others, and now that I'm thinking about it, that's probably why people were so eager to reciprocate it's affection. It wasn't as big of a sting hazard.

"Yeah, but mama says she doesn't want me getting wet..."

She gave me a really weird look before snorting.

"It's an aquarium. You're bound to get a little water on you. C'mere," she lightly urged me forward, grasping my hands and lifting me a little from my armpits so I could properly reach over the railing and put my hands into the water.

As soon as I did, the little ray was quick to find my fingers, flapping away to press itself against my hands. It was slimy but smooth, and I burst into a fit of giggles.

"I think he likes me!"

"He does!" The tour guide was suddenly beside us, a wide smile stretching his stubble, "His name is Pancake."

"PANCAKE?!" The rest of us had squealed in delighted unison.

Time seemed to fly after that. I interacted with so many different creatures that day, but Pancake remained my favorite.

When it was time for us to get lunch at the in-house food court, I bought a burger, fries, and chocolate chip milkshake from the Steak n' Shake. I also bought a stingray plush that cost way too much in true gift shop fashion. I named it Waffle, and carried it around with me the entire rest of the trip, showing it off to the other fish while my friends giggled with me about how soft he was.

I can't lie, I regard that field trip as one of the happiest days of my life. And, more importantly, I still have Waffle. He's become even flatter with time, and one of his glass button eyes came off, but he sits on the little shelf above my desk like an angel and keeps watch, just like he did back then when I fell asleep snuggling him in my bed every night.

I wish I could hold him again. He was always the softest thing I owned. I don't know why I thought there would never be a last time I'd get to hold him.

⁴▦Godspeed You! Black Emperor — Antennas to Heaven (2000)

⁵▦Dvořák — Bagatelles, Op. 47 (1879)

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